Mark urges Nigerians to eschew sectarian sentiment

Immediate past President of the Senate, Mr. David Mark has warned Nigerians against allowing their tribal and sectarian considerations to becloud their sense of nationalism.Mark, who is representing Benue South said it is important Nigerians change their attitude to one another otherwise the country would never progress.

Mark, while marking his 70 years birthday in Abuja over the weekend, said a Nigeria where every one is free to live and pursue their legitimate ambition in any part of the country without fear of intimidation or molestation is possible “if we see ourselves as brothers and sisters.”

Taking a cursory estimation of the state of the nation compared with what it was in the past, the former President of the Senate said, “When I was growing up, I made friends across board devoid of ethnicity, tribe or religion. And we saw ourselves as brothers and sisters with a common destiny. But what we see today is a celebration of ethnic or religious champions in our national life.”

The former Military Administrator of Niger State and one-time Minister of Communication lamented that this is not the Nigeria of our dream, saying it is important to re-orientate our people in order to reverse the trend for good. According to him, “We must see ourselves as one people with a common destiny and purpose.”